Solve It manual

56 MB·English

Teacher's Guide
Solve It!
Apple
SUNBLRST
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
PERMISSIONS
All SUNBURST material is copyrighted. However, SUNBURST does give the
purchaser the following permissions:
1. You have permission to reproduce any student worksheets in this guide for
your classroom use. You should nol, however, copy the whole guide.
2. You have permission to use Lab Packs within _a site. You shoiMiibti
however, divide the package and use the diskettes in more than one
building.
3. You may noI copy the diskette. A back-up is provided.
4. You have permission to allow students to take the product home for use
with their personal computers.
Designers: Peggy Healy Steams, Ph.D.
C. Alan Riedesel, Ph.D.
Programmers: Andrew Armstrong
Gary Schenck
Project
Manager: Ed Annunziata
Guide: Elaine Shen Vislocky
Peggy Healy Stearns, Ph.D.
Graphics: Olga Mirkin
"Rescue from an Icy Peak" mystery developed by:
Lawrence Carey Healy, Jr.
Copyright 1988
Sunburst Communications, Inc.
Pleasantville, NY 10570
Apple II is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., Cupertino, CA.
For information or a free microcomputer catalog, write:
Sunburst Communications
39 Washington Avenue
Pleasantville, NY 10570
In the United States, call toll-free 800-431-1934
In Canada, call toll-free 800-247-6756
Or call collect 914-769-5030
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This program is dedicated to my children, Joe and Brett,
two creative and inspiring problem solvers.
P. H. Stearns
^^^^*°^
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Peggy Healy Stearns received her Ph.D. from the State University of New
York at Buffalo where she majored in Computer Education. Her dissertation
involved a comparison of teacher and student evaluations of educational
software. Prior to this, Dr. Stearns earned her bachelor's degree in Economics
from Manhattanville College and her master's from Harvard University.
Over the past 8 years, Dr. Steams has taught middle school, high school,
undergraduate, and graduate students; has helped to train hundreds of
inservice teachers in grades K-12; and has given presentations at dozens of
conferences and workshops. She has published several articles on the use of
computers in the schools and is the editor of an upcoming book on educational
computing in the home. In 1987, she was honored by President Sample of the
State University of New York at Buffalo as a "University Inventor".
Currently, Dr. Stearns teaches graduate students at SUNY at Buffalo, acts as
Assistant Coordinator of the Software Evaluation Project at the University, and
is the District Computer Specialist for the Depew Public Schools.
Dr. Alan Riedesel is a Professor of Education at the State University of New
York at Buffalo. His publications include over fifty research and application
articles directed at the improvement of instruction in the elementary school. His
books include Teaching Elementary School Mathematics (Fifth Editionl
Handbook for Mathematics Teaching. Coping with Computers in the Elementary
and Middle School, and sixteen elementary school textbooks for children. For
six years he was the research editor for The Arithmetic Teacher. He has
reviewed tests for Mental Measurements Yearbook and he wrote the
elementary school mathematics research review chapter in the American
Educational Research Association's Second Handbook of Research on
Teaching. In addition to teaching and writing, he has been Director of Teacher
Education, Coordinator of the Software Evaluation Project, Director of the
Center for Research with Schools, and the principal investigator on fifteen
research and teaching projects funded by the state and federal government as
well as private foundations. He has authored two complete college courses via
computer assisted instruction, authored and directed ten instructional motion
pictures for teachers, and is a pioneer in Worldview education.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I n t r o d u c t i o n i
P r o g r a m O b j e c t i v e s 1
P r o g r a m O v e r v i e w 2
P r o g r a m D e s c r i p t i o n 3
S t a r t i n g t h e P r o g r a m . 3
I n v e s t i g a t i n g a C a s e 7
S o l v i n g a M y s t e r y 1 3
Te a c h e r O p t i o n s 2 0
C l a s s r o o m U s e 2 4
L e s s o n # 1 - A n I n t r o d u c t i o n t o D a t a b a s e s 2 6
A c t i v i t y S h e e t # 1 2 8
^ L e s s o n # 2 - E x e r c i s i n g L o g i c a l T h i n k i n g 2 9
( A c t i v i t y S h e e t # 2 3 0
A c t i v i t y S h e e t # 3 3 3
L e s s o n # 3 - I n v e s t i g a t i n g a S a m p l e M y s t e r y 3 6
S e c r e t A d m i r e r C a s e H i s t o r y 3 8
S e c r e t A d m i r e r C l u e s 3 9
S e c r e t A d m i r e r S o l u t i o n M a t r i x 4 0
L e s s o n # 4 - I n v e s t i g a t i n g a S o l v e I t ! M y s t e r y 4 1
O t h e r C l a s s r o o m I d e a s 4 5
Vo c a b u l a r y L i s t 4 6
C a s e H i s t o r i e s , 4 7
S o l u t i o n M a t r i c e s 5 3
E v a l u a t i o n S h e e t s 5 7
C e r t i fi c a t e s o f A c h i e v e m e n t 5 9
A t a G l a n c e 6 2
W o r k i n g w i t h t h e C o m p u t e r 6 4
A p p l e I I + , l i e , l i e 6 4
A p p l e I g s 6 5
What Happens lf...?"--Sunburst Courseware and Warranty 66
SOLVE IT!
INTRODUCTION
In 1980, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics designated problem solving
as the focus of mathematics education in the 1980's. Since then, numerous other
reports have echoed this concern. In a world where facts are conveniently stored in
databases, where the responsibility for computational accuracy can be relegated to
electronic devices, new skills are needed. Students must know how to access,
analyze, and synthesize information.
Despite the increasing emphasis on problem solving, teachers often find it difficult to
integrate these skills into the classroom. They feel pressured by the need to prepare
students for the growing number of standardized tests, the need to cover an ever more
demanding curriculum.
Furthermore, in approaching the teaching of problem solving, most teachers are
exploring unfamiliar territory. The task is seen as ambiguous. Problem solving
encompasses a broad range of skills; specific objectives are both difficult to define and
difficult to measure in terms of achievement. Thus, objectives which focus on problem
solving skills are often hard to justify in an environment geared increasingly to
accountability.
SOLVE IT!: A PRACTICAL ROUTE TO CURRICULUM INTEGRATION
The Solve It! mini-mysteries address these problems by integrating the teaching of
logical thinking skills into the traditional curriculum. The program addresses several
skill areas: the development of reading comprehension, an understanding of
databases including the concept of an effective database search, and the analytical
thinking skills needed to deal with and/or and exclusion logic. In addition, several of
the mysteries deal with science or social studies subject area content and even raise
ethical issues for students to ponder or debate. By combining so many objectives, the
program makes it easier for teachers to find time to include important critical thinking
skills in the curriculum.
Solve It! incorporates other elements that encourage successful classroom
implementation. The program uses a compelling game format with the student playing
the role of a detective in the Solve It Agency. After reading the selected case history,
the student is challenged to retrieve appropriate clues from the Solve It! database
and then analyze this information in order to eliminate suspects. A wide range of
difficulty levels allows students to master program operation, database search, and the
use of logic in a less complex setting before advancing to more challenging situations.
Because suspects, clues, and solutions are all drawn at random from a pool of
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possibilities, mysteries are different each time they are played. Therefore, even the
same student may replay a mystery repeatedly without ever being sure of the outcome.
Introduction
i
We believe that teachers will find Solve It! to be both entertaining and instructional^
relevant in a variety of curricular areas. It will, we feel, provide a meaningful and
effective way to encourage the practical implementation of problem-solving skills into
teachers' already-demanding curricula.
SOLVE IT!
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PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
SOLVE IT!
by Pe99*J Healy Stearns & C. Alan Riedesel
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• 4th grade reading level
Prerequisite Skills:
• Note taking
• Organization
Grade Level: 4-12
Reading Level: 4th grade (Spache)
Time Required: 10-20 minutes
Objectives: 1. to search effectively for information in a database
2. to learn about the function and value of databases
3. to exercise logical thinking
4. to organize and analyze information
5. to discriminate between important and unimportant or
unrelated information
6. to discover relationships between information
7. to enhance language arts skills
SOLVE IT!
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Students play the role of detectives in the Solve It Detective Agency. After selecting a
mystery, they read the Case History and select important persons, places, or things
about which they would like to retrieve more information. Students then use these
words as keywords to search the Solve It Central Computer database for clues which
will help them solve the mystery. All clues are written in the form of logical statements
which require students to use analytical thinking skills.
The three levels of difficulty available for each mystery encourage students of various
abilities to play the game and seek higher levels of challenge. Rookie Detectives
receive only important clues to help them solve the case. Senior Detectives must first
sort through the clues to discard extraneous information (unimportant or unrelated
clues) before they analyze their information to solve the case. Super Sleuths must not
only discard extraneous information, but relate the information contained in separate
clues in order to solve the case.
r As students attempt to solve each of the six mysteries, they will explore such topics as
underwater sea life (The El Diablo Treasure), the structure and history of medieval
European castles {Race to Spy Castle), and the ethical concerns about zoos {The
Animals are Loose!). The unique collection of clues and suspects selected each
time a mystery is played alters the solution to the case. Consequently, students may
replay a mystery at the same level and will probably never encounter exactly the same
collection of clues and solution.
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